Soccer By Ivestag:typepad.com,2003:weblog-14503442012-10-10T19:33:28-04:00The world of soccer with an American voiceTypePadCastillo out for both USMNT qualifiers, Johnson to join team in KCtag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00e54ef2975b8833017c3271eeae970b2012-10-10T19:33:28-04:002012-10-10T20:16:19-04:00Photo by Tony Quinn/ISIphotos.com By FRANCO PANIZO U.S. Men's National Team head coach Jurgen Klinsmann must be feeling a bit of deja vu right now. As was the case in the United States' first World Cup qualifier against Antigua & Barbuda back in June, Klinsmann will be without both first-choice left backs, Fabian Johnson and Edgar Castillo, for the Americans visit to Antigua this coming Friday. Castillo has been sidelined by a foot injury and will miss both upcoming World Cup qualifiers while Johnson, who is suffering from a flu, is expected to join the team prior to their match...Franco Panizo

Photo by Tony Quinn/ISIphotos.com

By FRANCO PANIZO

U.S. Men's National Team head coach Jurgen Klinsmann must be feeling a bit of deja vu right now.

As was the case in the United States' first World Cup qualifier against Antigua & Barbuda back in June, Klinsmann will be without both first-choice left backs, Fabian Johnson and Edgar Castillo, for the Americans visit to Antigua this coming Friday. Castillo has been sidelined by a foot injury and will miss both upcoming World Cup qualifiers while Johnson, who is suffering from a flu, is expected to join the team prior to their match against Guatemala next Tuesday.

“Obviously it’s a difficult situation losing Fabian for the Antigua game and Edgar being unavailable for both," Klinsmann told ussoccer.com. "We were in a similar situation for the first match against Antigua & Barbuda in June, and we will be prepared.

“Fabian has been ill since the weekend, and we were waiting to see if he would be healthy enough to join us in Miami. At this point, it is in everyone’s best interest to allow him to fully recover from his illness and come into Kansas City ready to play against Guatemala.”

Johnson and Castillo's absence now leaves Klinsmann without a natural left back for the match in Antigua and it also takes away two more of his wide options. Landon Donovan and Brek Shea were both ruled out on Tuesday with respective knocks.

As things stand now, the U.S. roster is down to 20 players. Klinsmann can summon replacements, but he will not do so for the Antigua & Barbuda match. How things stand after that in terms of injuries and suspensions will determine if he calls in any extra bodies for the Guatemala game.

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What do you think of this development? Who do you see playing left back on Friday? Think it would be a mistake for Klinsmann not to call in a replacement?

Share your thoughts below.

http://www.soccerbyives.net/soccer_by_ives/2012/10/castillo-out-for-both-usmnt-qualifiers-johnson-to-join-team-in-kc.htmlA mature, focused Eddie Johnson set for USMNT returntag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00e54ef2975b8833017d3ca038f7970c2012-10-10T18:29:08-04:002012-10-10T18:29:08-04:00BY DAVE MARTINEZ It has been a long and winding road back to the National team for Eddie Johnson. Once considered the next great American forward, the 28-year-old striker has since seen his career come to a near halt as four nomadic years in Europe and an unsuccessful jaunt with Puebla FC of Liga MX derailed his progress. Confidence became a clear issue, and the lack of playing time only compounded his woes. Nearly a year since his confounding stay South of the Border, Johnson finds himself amongst Major League Soccer’s top goal scorers with 14 tallies over 26 games....Dave Martinez

BY DAVE MARTINEZ

It has been a long and winding road back to the National
team for Eddie Johnson.

Once considered the next great American forward, the 28-year-old striker has since seen his career come to a near halt as four nomadic years
in Europe and an unsuccessful jaunt with Puebla FC of Liga MX derailed his
progress. Confidence became a clear
issue, and the lack of playing time only compounded his woes.

Nearly a year since his confounding stay South of the
Border, Johnson finds himself amongst Major League Soccer’s top goal scorers
with 14 tallies over 26 games. A change
of scenery, a return home, some self improvement and a supportive Sounders
staff have brought him back to the place where his career took off – the U.S.
National Team.

“I’m 28
years old now,” Johnson said. “I’m a lot more mature. I’m a student of the
game and you can never stop learning the game. My biggest thing, and a sports
psychologist told me, ‘Eddie, you’re your own enemy.’ Sometimes I think I put
too much pressure on myself and it shows in my game. (But) I learned how to
relax more and control what I can control and not let others emotions affect or
dictate my play in the game.”

“I think as you get older you get smarter as a player,” he
said. “You are always learning as a
soccer player. I think my time in
Europe, I always told myself ‘man, the game is simple at the end of the day but
sometimes you over think things and make the game harder than it really is.’”

Johnson’s road to rebuilding began after his failed attempt
to sign with Puebla FC. Looking to get
back to his roots, he sought the IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida to
physically – and mentally – prepare for his next big move; another run at MLS.

“When you are not having confidence, you don’t believe in
yourself, playing at this level, it has a lot to do with self confidence,
belief in your own ability, and trusting in what got you to where you are,” he
said. “I lacked a lot of confidence when
I went over to Europe. That’s why I was
on loan spells, in and out of teams.”

The added focus has helped him get noticed at a critical
time. Jurgen Klinsmann made headlines
this week by not selecting red-hot AZ striker Jozy Altidore to join the team
for their critical World Cup qualifying matches. With Landon Donovan and Brek Shea unavailable
due to injury, Johnson suddenly becomes a focal figure for the U.S. just as he
was so many years ago.

“I’ve always talked about setting goals for yourself and
writing your goals down and looking over them and visualizing them and I said I
just want to put myself in positions to put in goals, work hard and be hard to
play against,” Johnson explained. “I
talked about being consistent this year. I want to be as consistent as I can be. When you are consistent, you keep your
starting spot, and your team does well, and when your team does well,
everything else is a bonus.

“I think there's
always doubt at some time in your career when things aren't going well. There
are always perceptions of you that are out there from other people in the
soccer world. I think the biggest thing going on in my corner is having a coach
of German background,” he said with a laugh.
“Sigi (Schmid) told me when I first arrived in Seattle that he had a
very good relationship Jurgen and if I was doing the business and I was
believing in everything they were trying to accomplish in Seattle and the team
was winning and I was scoring goals and my behavior was good and stuff that
Jurgen would give me a chance. “

Johnson held up to his side of the bargain. Most recently, that new found skill and
confidence was center stage as the returning National team striker found the
back of the net in an overall strong performance against the Portland Timbers.

“Just believe in yourself,” he said. “The thing is that the talent doesn’t go anywhere;
it’s about the desire, the willingness to get back to the top

“When the talent is there, yo get around the right people … good things happen.”

http://www.soccerbyives.net/soccer_by_ives/2012/10/a-mature-focused-eddie-johnson-returns-to-the-national-team.htmlJohnson's flu adds to mounting USMNT woestag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00e54ef2975b8833017c327132cc970b2012-10-10T16:15:00-04:002012-10-10T16:15:15-04:00Photo by ISIphotos.com Add Fabian Johnson to the list of players who could be sidelined for the U.S. Men's National Team's upcoming World Cup qualifiers. Johnson is currently suffering from a flu infection and is expected to miss out on Friday's trip to Antigua & Barbuda, according to German outlet Kicker. Johnson's status for next Tuesday's home game at Livestrong Sporting Park against Guatemala is also in question because of the flu. The report makes it seem as if Johnson is not currently training with the U.S. in Miami, stating that he could join them this weekend if he recovers...Franco Panizo

Photo by ISIphotos.com

Add Fabian Johnson to the list of players who could be sidelined for the U.S. Men's National Team's upcoming World Cup qualifiers.

Johnson is currently suffering from a flu infection and is expected to miss out on Friday's trip to Antigua & Barbuda, according to German outlet Kicker. Johnson's status for next Tuesday's home game at Livestrong Sporting Park against Guatemala is also in question because of the flu.

The report makes it seem as if Johnson is not currently training with the U.S. in Miami, stating that he could join them this weekend if he recovers from the flu. U.S. Soccer did not respond to the validity of that in an immediate inquiry.

If Johnson is out, he would join Landon Donovan and Brek Shea as players called into this camp that will be unavailable for the final two games of this round of qualifying. It would also leave head coach Jurgen Klinsmann with one less option to deploy out wide, which might force him to call in some replacements.

Jermaine Jones has also arrived in camp carrying an injury.

What do you make of this development? Is it time for Klinsmann to summon some replacements? Who would you like to see Klinsmann turn to if Johnson can't play?

Share your thoughts below.

http://www.soccerbyives.net/soccer_by_ives/2012/10/usmnt-injuries-mount-as-johnson-suffers-from-flu-jones-not-training.htmlSBI Men's College Soccer Top 25 (Oct. 10th)tag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00e54ef2975b8833017d3c9bd5d3970c2012-10-10T16:04:20-04:002012-10-10T16:05:42-04:00If anyone still had questions about Marquette's legitimacy as a national power this year, those questions were answered over the weekend, when the Golden Panthers toppled unbeaten UConn, the No. 1 team in the SBI College Soccer Top 25 at the time. Marquette handed the Huskies their first loss of the season to not only maintain one of only two perfect records in the nation (Cornell holding the other), it also cemented Marquette's status as a serious contender for the Big East title and a potential NCAA run later this year. Out West, we saw UCSB, UCLA and New Mexico...Soccer By Ives

If anyone still had questions about Marquette's legitimacy as a national power this year, those questions were answered over the weekend, when the Golden Panthers toppled unbeaten UConn, the No. 1 team in the SBI College Soccer Top 25 at the time.

Marquette handed the Huskies their first loss of the season to not only maintain one of only two perfect records in the nation (Cornell holding the other), it also cemented Marquette's status as a serious contender for the Big East title and a potential NCAA run later this year.

Out West, we saw UCSB, UCLA and New Mexico all suffer defeats, with Washington and Cal-State Northridge benefiting from the upsets to secure their own places in the latest SBI Top 25.

The biggest mover in the new rankings is VCU, which debuts at No. 20 after a 4-1 mauling of Charlotte. Other teams that enjoyed big jumps are unbeaten Xavier and surprising Elon.

http://www.soccerbyives.net/soccer_by_ives/2012/10/sbi-mens-college-soccer-top-25-oct-10th.htmlMid-day Ticker: Rapids' Pickens out for the season; Fellaini sidelined; and moretag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00e54ef2975b8833017d3c9ec6cc970c2012-10-10T14:24:54-04:002012-10-10T14:24:54-04:00Photo by isiphotos.com By JOSE M. ROMERO Colorado Rapids goalkeeper Matt Pickens will see his 75-match appearance streak end due to a groin injury that will force him out of the club's final two matches. Pickens had the longest active streak in MLS before getting injured in Saturday's game against San Jose. He was replaced in the 69th minute by Stew Ceus. Rapids coach Oscar Pareja said he doesn't expect Pickens to play any more this season and will go with Ceus or Ian Joyce in goal the rest of the way for the Rapids, who are out of playoff...Jose Romero

McCarthy has led two clubs out of the League Championship into the English Premier League, Wolverhampton and Sunderland. Other candidates for the Wanderers job include former Manchester United players Roy Keane and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.

Bolton seeks a return to the EPL to improve its financial situation but is currently 10 points away from promotion after it was relegated to the Championship last season.

RSL-SEATTLE PICKED UP BY NBC SPORTS NETWORK

The Seattle Sounders-Real Salt Lake match on Oct. 17 at CenturyLink Field has been picked up for a national telecast on the NBC Sports Network. It will kick off at 10 p.m. ET.

At present, RSL and Seattle are in second and third place in the Western Conference, so this is an important match for playoff seeding. It is the only MLS match being played on that day.

http://www.soccerbyives.net/soccer_by_ives/2012/10/mid-day-ticker-.htmlSBI MLS Best XI (Week 31)tag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00e54ef2975b8833017d3c9d4e97970c2012-10-10T13:10:33-04:002012-10-10T13:10:33-04:00It was a good week in MLS for playoff-bound forwards. Fabian Espindola, Sherjill MacDonald and Chris Wondolowski are all key figures on teams heading into the MLS playoffs, and all three showed they are ready for post-season glory as they each turned in outstanding performances over the weekend. Espindola, MacDonald and Wondolowski all scored multiple goals to lead their teams to important victories, and all three earned SBI MLS Best XI honors in the process. FC Dallas is still trying to make the playoffs, and while their chances are slim at this point, the only reason they have any chance...Soccer By Ives

It was a good week in MLS for playoff-bound forwards.

Fabian Espindola, Sherjill MacDonald and Chris Wondolowski are all key figures on teams heading into the MLS playoffs, and all three showed they are ready for post-season glory as they each turned in outstanding performances over the weekend.

Espindola, MacDonald and Wondolowski all scored multiple goals to lead their teams to important victories, and all three earned SBI MLS Best XI honors in the process.

FC Dallas is still trying to make the playoffs, and while their chances are slim at this point, the only reason they have any chance at all is the heroics of goalkeeper Kevin Hartman, who made several key saves to help Dallas salvage a point against Chivas USA.

Eddie Gaven did his part to help the Columbus Crew keep their playoff hopes alive, scoring a vital late equalizer to earn the Crew a precious point against Sporting Kansas City.

For the second straight week we had so many outstanding performances by forwards that some very deserving candidates fell just short of the Best XI. This week, Philadelphia's Jack McInerney barely missed the cut, while Seattle's Fredy Montero was also a worthy option who came up just short.

What do you think of this week's selections? Who didn't make the Best XI that you felt should have? Who made the team that you're happy to see on it?

Share your thoughts below.

http://www.soccerbyives.net/soccer_by_ives/2012/10/sbi-mls-best-xi-week-31.htmlAfter repeated snubs, Klinsmann didn't bother calling Chandler this time aroundtag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00e54ef2975b8833017c326ffc1b970b2012-10-10T11:52:18-04:002012-10-10T11:52:18-04:00Photo by ISIphotos.com By FRANCO PANIZO After repeated attempts to call him into the U.S. Men's National team this year, only to be turned down on more than one occasion, It appears U.S. head coach Jurgen Klinsmann has grown tired of Timmy Chandler's unwillingness to commit to the U.S. national team. Chandler's absence from this month's U.S. roster is not because the fullback denied a call-up, but rather because Klinsmann did not offer him an invitation, sources at Chandler's club team, Nuremberg, told SBI on Wednesday. Chandler told SBI last month that he was open to receiving a call-up and...Franco Panizo

Photo by ISIphotos.com

By FRANCO PANIZO

After repeated attempts to call him into the U.S. Men's National team this year, only to be turned down on more than one occasion, It appears U.S. head coach Jurgen Klinsmann has grown tired of Timmy Chandler's unwillingness to commit to the U.S. national team.

Chandler's absence from this month's U.S. roster is not because the fullback denied a call-up, but rather because Klinsmann did not offer him an invitation, sources at Chandler's club team, Nuremberg, told SBI on Wednesday.

Chandler told SBI last month that he was open to receiving a call-up and getting cap-tied to the United States during the October qualifiers, but Klinsmann apparently did not deem it necessary to select the 22-year-old fullback.

That Klinsmann ignored Chandler for this coming camp may not be entirely surprising given that Chandler has rebuffed call-ups from the U.S. head coach in the past, not to mention previous coach Bob Bradley. Still, Chandler not getting selected when he said he was publicly open to doing so now means he cannot be cap-tied to the U.S. until the 2013 Gold Cup or World Cup qualifiers.

Chandler and Nurnberg have endured some struggles in the German Bundesliga in recent weeks, but whether that is part of the reason for the snub is not clear at this time. What is clear is that the Chandler saga is still not yet over and it won't be for quite some time.

What do you think Klinsmann not calling in Chandler? Is it the right move given how many times Chandler has turned down call-ups in the past? Do you even want Chandler on the U.S. national team at this point?

Share your thoughts below.

http://www.soccerbyives.net/soccer_by_ives/2012/10/chandler-not-called-up-by-klinsmann-for-qualifiers.htmlCollege Soccer Rewind: Northwestern upends Notre Dame; Maryland edges Rutgers; and moretag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00e54ef2975b8833017ee40983a5970d2012-10-10T11:07:40-04:002012-10-10T11:07:40-04:00The Big East Conference is widely-regarded as the strongest men's soccer conference in the nation this year, but Northwestern scored a big one for the Big Ten on Tuesday night by knocking off Notre Dame in the evening's only battle of teams ranked in the SBI Top 25. First-half goals by Joey Calistri and Lepe Setane helped the No. 19 Wildcats knock off the No. 9 Fighting Irish, 2-0, in Evanston, Illinois. The victory, which should help Northwestern move up in the new SBI Top 25, which will be released later today, improves the Wildcats' record to 8-2-2 while the...Soccer By Ives

The Big East Conference is widely-regarded as the strongest men's soccer conference in the nation this year, but Northwestern scored a big one for the Big Ten on Tuesday night by knocking off Notre Dame in the evening's only battle of teams ranked in the SBI Top 25.

The victory, which should help Northwestern move up in the new SBI Top 25, which will be released later today, improves the Wildcats' record to 8-2-2 while the loss drops Notre Dame to 10-3.

In other action on Tuesday night, No. 1 UConn rebounded from their first loss of the season to beat Iona, while likely new No. 1 Maryland rallied from an early deficit to knock off Rutgers. No. 24 Cornell posted another impressive victory to remain one of only two teams in the nation with a perfect record. The other perfect team, Marquette, edged Northern Illinois, 1-0.

Here is a rundown of all of Tuesday's top scores, as well as a look back at results from the weekend in men's college soccer.

http://www.soccerbyives.net/soccer_by_ives/2012/10/college-soccer-weekend-rewind-marquette-topples-uconn-.htmlWednesday Kickoff: Atletico names Falcao price, Busquets receives ban and moretag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00e54ef2975b8833017ee4139b00970d2012-10-10T10:30:00-04:002012-10-10T10:45:55-04:00By FRANCO PANIZO Radamel Falcao is one of the strikers who is most in demand right now, and Atletico Madrid has set the amount that it will take for someone to pry him away from them. Atletico Madrid GM Miguel Angel GIl Marin put a price on Falcao on Tuesday, saying the team will not be able to afford the Colombian striker if they do not qualify for the UEFA Champions League this season. Gil Marin put the price tag at €60 million ($77.2 million), but insisted that Falcao and all the players that the coach wants will stay if...Franco Panizo

By FRANCO PANIZO

Radamel Falcao is one of the strikers who is most in demand right now, and Atletico Madrid has set the amount that it will take for someone to pry him away from them.

Atletico Madrid GM Miguel Angel GIl Marin put a price on Falcao on Tuesday, saying the team will not be able to afford the Colombian striker if they do not qualify for the UEFA Champions League this season. Gil Marin put the price tag at €60 million ($77.2 million), but insisted that Falcao and all the players that the coach wants will stay if they can secure a berth into next year's competition.

Falcao currently has eight goals in six games for Atletico Madrid. The Spanish club is currently tied with Barcelona for first place in La Liga with 19 points from seven games played. The top three clubs in La Liga earn an automatic berth into the Champions League while the fourth-place finishers go into the tournament's qualifiers.

Here are more stories from around the world of soccer:

BUSQUETS HANDED TWO-GAME SUSPENSION

Sergio Busquets will have to wait until at least November before he can participate in Barcelona's UEFA Champions League run again. UEFA banned Busquets two matches after he was ejected from the club's 2-0 win over Benfica last week because of violent conduct, and he will miss the home match against Celtic on October 23 and the return leg in Scotland on November 7. The Barcelona midfielder can appeal against the ruling within three days.

Wayne Rooney has accomplished a lot from an individual standpoint in his career, but this Friday will mark a first for him. Rooney is set to be England's captain in a competitive game for the first time when the Three Lions battle San Marino in a World Cup qualifier on Friday. First-choice captains Frank Lampard and Steven Gerrard are expected to miss the game due to injury and suspension, respectively.

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What do you think of the price Atletico put on Falcao? Agree with Busquets getting a two-game suspension? Think Roma will get a new stadium by 2016? Do you see England winning with Rooney as captain?

Share your thoughts below.

http://www.soccerbyives.net/soccer_by_ives/2012/10/wednesday-kickoff-madrid-puts-price-on-falcao-busquets-receives-ban-and-more.htmlReport: Suspect in RBNY coach's death flees to Mexicotag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00e54ef2975b8833017c326faef5970b2012-10-10T09:51:04-04:002012-10-10T09:51:04-04:00The man suspected of killing New York Red Bulls youth coach Mike Jones in New York City over the weekend has fled to Mexico, according to a report from the Associated Press. Orlando Orea, also known as Orlando Gutierrez or Orlando Estevas, bought a one-way ticket on an Aero Mexico flight with cash minutes before its departure from Kennedy International Airport on Tuesday morning, according to an anonymous official in the report. Orea is suspected of having murdered the 25-year-old Jones with a knife on Sunday morning. Detectives on the case discovered Orea's name at about 4:45pm on Tuesday and...Soccer By Ives

Orlando Orea, also known as Orlando Gutierrez or Orlando Estevas, bought a one-way ticket on an Aero Mexico flight with cash minutes before its departure from Kennedy International Airport on Tuesday morning, according to an anonymous official in the report. Orea is suspected of having murdered the 25-year-old Jones with a knife on Sunday morning.

Detectives on the case discovered Orea's name at about 4:45pm on Tuesday and placed the 32-year-old suspect on a no-fly list, but he had already left the country by then, officials said.

According to officials, it is not clear what ties Orea has to Mexico, if any. Officials also said that the attack may have been a result of a mistaken identity.

The Red Bulls are holding a private memorial for Jones in Westchester County on Wednesday.